The present invention relates to a hand-held vacuum/blower device comprising a housing in which a drive motor is arranged and a blower spiral connected to the housing with a blower wheel driven by the shaft of the drive motor coupled thereto. The blower wheel comprises a hub and a wall extending to the periphery of the blower wheel whereby the wall is provided on both sides with vanes. The blower spiral has two radial end faces with at least one air inlet opening in each one of the end faces. One of the end faces is part of the housing enclosing the drive motor and the air inlet opening of this end face connects the interior of the housing to the suction area of the blower wheel.
A vacuum/blower device of the aforementioned kind is known from German patent application 38 36 748 A1. It comprises a portable housing in which an electric drive motor is received. The housing comprises a blower spiral with a blower wheel rotating therein. This blower wheel is coupled to the shaft of the drive motor and is driven by it. The blower wheel comprises a wall connected to its hub and extending in the direction toward the periphery of the blower wheel. On both sides of the wall vanes are arranged so that the blower wheel is a double flow wheel. Therefore, the blower spiral is provided with air inlet openings at both radial and faces. One of the end faces is also part of the housing surrounding the drive motor so that via the air inlet opening in this end face the interior of the housing, in which the drive motor is contained, is connected to the suction area of the blower wheel.
A blower device to be operated by hand is disclosed in German patent application 31 25 889 A1 and comprises a housing with internal combustion engine contained therein. To the housing a blower spiral is connected in which a blower wheel rotates. The blower spiral comprises an air inlet opening at one of the radial end faces whereby this air inlet opening may be provided at the end face facing the drive motor or at the opposite end face of the blower spiral. In the latter case, the air is directly entrained from the exterior of the blower wheel spiral, while, in the case of the end face facing the drive motor having the air inlet opening, the suction air is guided past the internal combustion engine in order to cool it.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vacuum/blower device of the aforementioned kind with which in operating conditions of high heat development of the internal combustion engine an effective cooling can be provided and the drive energy can be used as efficiently as possible.